Automobile heater



July zo, 1937.

'AUTOMOBILE HEATERl Filed July 17, 1955 zsneets-sheet 1 n c. M. FRANCISCO'y 7 i 2,087,617

July 20, 1937. Q M. FlmNczlscovl A2,087,617

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed July 17, 19:55

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STTES i FFICE AUTOMOBILE HEATER Application July 17, 1935, Serial No. 31,847

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile heaters, and has particular reference to that type of heater utilizing an outer casing which is applied to the side of an internal combustion engine to surround the manifold of the engine through which the heated exhaust gases pass when issuing from the engine cylinders, and wherein the resultant heated Walls of the manifold are employed to heat air passing through the casing and over the exterior heated surfaces of the manifold, to the end that the air may be delivered in a heated state to the interior of an associated motor vehicle body for the comfort of the vehicle occupants.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle heater of the type indicated of simple and efficient construction, and one wherein the heat of the exhaust gases, passing through the exhaust manifold of the associated engine, will be utilized to a greater degree than `heretofore in increasing the temperature of the air which is nally delivered to the vehicle body.

It is another object of the invention to provide a simple and improved heater of the type set forth which is especially adapted for use in conjunction 'with the currently manufactured V- type of engine involving eight cylinders in two angularly disposed' engine blocks: Such an engine is equipped withv an exhaust manifold of relatively short length for each cylinder block with `the result that when the usual heater casing is applied to one of these standard manifolds, the latter does not offer sufficient heat radiating surface to raise the temperature of the air passing through the heater casing to the required degree for the purpose of securing rapid, comfortable and eiiicient heating of the vehicle body.

Therefore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided, as a component and essential part of the heater, a special exhaust manifold comprising a welded sheet metal body `of high heat conductivity, and wherein the body is formed to provide spaced parallel passageways through which the heated exhaust gases pass directlyY from the engine, owing first in one direction through one of said passageways and then in the opposite direction through the other of the passageways, open ended air heating conduits being disposed in said passageways so that eicient and effective heat interchange takes place between the exhaust gases and the air which p-asses through the heater for delivery to the vehicle passenger compartment.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an exhaust manifold heater 0f strong and substantial construction, one which may be readily connected with an associated automobile engine and, further, one which will be safe and reliable in operation.

The present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the disclosures set forth in my prior'application, Serial No. 20,424 filed May 8,

For a further understanding of the invention,

reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a V-type automobile engine equipped with the heater mechanism comprising the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through the heater mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional View on the plane indicated by the line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. Il is a horizontal sectional view on the plane disclosed by the line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional View on the plane indicated by the line V-V of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the plane disclosed by the line VI-VI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view disclosing a slightly modied form of heater mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view'on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 'l

Fig. 9 is a vertical transverse sectional view on the line IX-IX of Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the numeral l designates an internal combustion engine of the type used in motor vehicles, and the numeral 2 indicates the heater mechanism comprising the present invention in its entirety. The

engine l to which the heater mechanism is especially applicable, comprises a pair of angularly related V-shaped cylinder blocks 3, the latter being of the type found in the presently manufactured Ford automobile. However, as the description proceeds, it will be obvious that the heater mechanism may be also adapted to many other different types of automobile engines.

As has been previously pointed out, in a V-type of engine of the type referred to, the exhaust f4' the cooling system of an associated engine is circulated, and having in combination therewith a motor driven fan for forcing air to be heated through the radiator, are also quite inadequate in quickly attaining comfortable driving temperatures during periods of cold weather.

Our problem, therefore, has been to provide a simple, readily installed and safe heater for use in connection with automobile engines having limited manifold area and yet to` attain a heater mechanism which after a very short period of operation will deliver air to the vehicle body at a temperature sufficiently high to assure comfort to the vehicle occupants. Y i I To obtain these and other ends, the present invention provides a special type of exhaust manifold, which is adapted to be substituted for the conventional manifold used in connection with such engines. Y

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figs. l to 6, the manifold comprises a welded sheet metal body 4 of fiat, box-like rectangular construction and includes transversely spaced, substantially vertically extending, inner and outer side walls 5 and t, respectively, substantially horizontally and longitudinally extending top and bottom walls 1 and 8, respectively, and front and rear Y Walls 9 and I0, respectively, all of which are welded, or otherwise assembled, to produce a strong, unitary structure.

Also, the manifold body includes a plurality of vertically spaced, longitudinally extending, open ended upper and lower tubes `I I and I 2 respective- 1y, which have the ends thereof positioned Within and secured to the walls of openings provided in the front and rear walls 9 and I0 of the manifold body, the tubes being immovably-retained in connection with said body. The back or inner wall 5 of the manifold body has welded thereto relatively heavy metallic plates I3 which are formed with openings I4 disposed to register with similar openings provided at spaced longitudinal intervals in the wall 5. The plates I3 are arranged to engage with gaskets I5 and to align with exhaust gas outlets I6 formed in connection with the cylinder block 3. Screw bolts I'I pass transversely through the manifold body and are positioned in welded sleeves I8 carried by said body, the inner threaded ends of said bolts being received within correspondingly threaded openings, not shown, formed in the cylinder block, while the outer or headed ends of the bolts Il are accessible from the exterior of the heater. By this construction, the combined heater and manifold mechanism may be easily and readily mounted in connection with the engine I and without involving any changes in its conventional construction.

Within the interior of the body 4 there is arranged, above the openings I4, a horizontally extending, longitudinally disposed partition wall I9, which divides the interior of the manifold body into upper and lower passageways 20 and 2| for the travel of the heated exhaust gases. 'I'he eX- haust gases first enter the lower passageway 2I and travel longitudinally and rearwardly through theV passageway 2|, heating the air passing through the lower tube I2 and also the air surrounding the outer walls of the body 4. I'he partition I9 terminates short of the rear wall I0 which, as shown in Fig. 2, allows the heated exhaust gases to enter the upper passageway 25 `and to flow through the latter in a reverse direction to the exhaust gases passing through the lower passageway. While traveling through the upper passageway 20, which is of the same length as the lower passageway, the heated exhaust gases contact with the upper tube I I heating the latter and the air traveling therethrough, as well as the exterior walls of the body 4.

To provide for the removal of the exhaust gases 5 from the manifold body, the forward end of the partition I9 terminates in a downwardly and forwardly inclined wall 22 and a vertical side Wally 25, which is located in approximately the center of the manifold body and,as shown in Figs. 5 1 and 6, is spaced from the forward opening I4 to avoid interference with the heated exhaust gases .entering 'the forward end of the manifold body .and to separatesuch gases from those leaving or being discharged from the forward end of the l manifold body.V The exhaust gases discharged from said manifold body pass through an opening 24 and thence into the conduit 25 which leads to the muffler of the vehicle, the conduit 25 being detachably connected with the forward end of 2 the manifold and with the forward end of the heater as indicated at 26.

By this construction, the effective length of the manifold body is approximately twice that afforded by the standard manifold, as well as 2 providing for a great increase in radiating or heat transmitting surfaces and it is to this fact that the efficiency of the heater is attributable. The manifold body is substantially surrounded on all sides by a heater casing 21, which, prefer- 3 ably, is also of flat rectangular design, in conformity with the cross sectional configuration of the manifold body. The front end 28 of the casing 2l is open to the atmosphere while the rear end thereof is provided with a closing wall. Ad- 3 jacent to its rear end, the upper portion of the heater casing 2l carries an angularly directed discharge conduit 30, which communicates with the passenger compartment (not shown) of an associated vehicle body.

Air enters the open front of the casing and travelsY through the restricted passageways 3| formed between the outer walls of the manifoldV body and the inner walls of the casing, absorbing heat from the sheet metal walls of the manifold body, and thereby increasing the temperature of the air. In addition to this, air is also heated by the passage thereof through the tubes II and I2 and the heated air stream is finally merged in the discharge conduit 30 and delivered to the passenger compartment of the associated Vehicle body. VThis operation is rendered more effective by the fact that increased travel is given to the exhaust gases during their movement through the manifold passageways 20 and 2| so that effective and efiicient heat interchange takes place.

In Figs. 7 to 9, a slight variation of my invention has been disclosed, wherein the partition wall 19a, instead of being horizontally disposed, 6 is substantially vertically arranged within the manifold body, in order to produce vertical passageways 20a and 2m. The inner passage 20a directly receives the exhaust gases from the outlet of the engine, while the outer passageway 2Ia communicates with the exhaust conduit 25. The division plate or plates ISa. are retained in their proper operative positions by metallic strips 32, secured to the walls of the manifold body and the tubes II and I2.

In View of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides Ya compact and eicient heater whichis particularly adapted for automobile engines having relatively short length manifolds; In addition to the matter of length and radiating surface, the present invention compensates for lower exhaust gas temperatures. These lower temperatures are quite noticeable in the modern high compression internal combustion engine, which possesses higher thermal efciency than older types of engines of lower compression ratio. By the provision of the efiicient heat exchanging means disclosed, the heater is well adapted for internal combustion engines of high compression ratio and solves the problem of providing passenger comfort at a low cost with prevailing engine conditions and requirements.

What is claimed is:

1. An automobile heater comprising a longitudinally extending substantially rectangular casing open to the atmosphere at its forward end and provided With an air outlet adjacent to its rear end, a second similarly shaped casing provided within said iirst casing, the side walls of said casings being spaced to provide an air passage therebetween, a partition provided internally of said inner casing, said partition dividing said casing into a pair of compartments arranged one above the other and communicating with one another at one end only of the inner casing, the lower of said compartments being provided on one side with a plurality of laterally directed gas inlets, an oppositely directed gas outlet provided on the other side of said manifold, and a portion of said partition being offset to separate the gas outlet from said inlets and connect said outlet with said upper compartment.

2. An automobile heater comprising a longitudinally extending casing open to the atmosphere at one end and provided with an air outlet adjacent to its other end, a second casing provided within said first casing, the side walls of said casings being spaced to provide an air passage therebetween, a partition Wall shorter in length than said inner casing arranged internally of the latter, said partition dividing said inner casing into a vpair of adjoining compartments communicating with one another at one end only of the inner casing, one of said compartments being provided with a plurality of laterally directed gas inlets, an oppositely directed gas outlet provided in said inner casing in direct alignment with one of said inlets, and a second partition wall positioned between said aligned outlet and inlet, said second partition being joined with said rst partition tol connect said outlet with the other compartment.

3. An automobile heater comprising a casing open to the atmosphere at its forward end and provided ,with an air outlet at its opposite end, a second casing provided Within said first casing, the side walls of said casings being spaced to provide an air passage therebetween, a horizontal partition wall provided internally of said second casing, the forward portion of said partition being oiiset, said partition dividing said second casing into upper and lower compartments which communicate at the rear end only, and said offset providing a downward extension of said upper y compartment, said extension being positioned beside the forward portion of said lower compartment, said lower compartment being provided with a plurality of laterally extending gas inlets and said downward extension being provided with an op-positely directed gas outlet.

4. An automobile heater comprising a casing open to the atmosphere at one end and provided with an air outlet at the opposite end, a second casing provided Within said rst casing, the side walls of said casings being spaced to' provide air passages therebetween, a partition wall provided internally of said second casing, said partition dividing said second casing into adjoining compartments having relative communication at one end only, a plurality of laterally directed gas inlets communicatingwith one of said compartments, a gas outlet communicating with the other compartment, and tubular guides extending transversely through said casings adjacent said inlets and outlet, said guides being welded to said inner casing to prevent the escape of gas therearound.

v CHARLES vM. FRANCISCO. 

